Sapuena Village and Supay
This morning found us on the Ucayali River, tied up alongside the village of Sapuena. Our plan for the morning was to visit the village, see a bit of the local crops, visit a house, and interact with the students. After an early morning skiff ride with a gorgeous sunrise and breakfast with gray river dolphins feeding all around us, we made our way up the bank of the river to the village.
Currently, the river levels are dropping mainly due to less rain in the Andes. As more and more bank is exposed, the villagers plant rice. Maturing in about three months, they will harvest it just as the river begins to rise again. Underneath a mango tree, a man was building a large canoe, soon to be the local taxi boat. Next to this, a woman was drying paiche, a massive local fish that will fetch him a good price in a nearby town.
Entering “main street,” a sidewalk running for about 200 yards, we strolled through the town. With Peruvian independence day coming soon, the path was lined with the red and white flags of Peru. Different people invited us into their homes to share more about how they lived and what they did. We eventually made our way to the kindergarten and then the school, where they enjoyed learning about us, and we about them. Some donated school supplies were well received and smiles were all around. The locals lead an amazing life living along the rivers here in the Amazon, a life dictated by the rise and fall of the water coming from so far away.
In the afternoon we continued upriver on the Ucayali, stopping alongside a place known as Supay. Here we again set out in the skiffs to look for wildlife, but as well some of us paddled our kayaks for the first time. Kayaking in the Amazon is a peaceful way to explore the many side streams, and to enjoy the sounds of the forest. We shall do it again.
